Triumph Of God

Preface

PART ONE: THE PAULINE LETTER

1.The Hermeneutical Problem
Three Solutions
Summary

2.Primary Themes In Pauline Thought
The Dialectic Of Coherence And Contingency
Apocalyptic As The Basis Of Paul’s Gospel

PART TWO: THEOLOGICAL CONSEQUENCES

3.The Contingency Of The Gospel
Paul’s Occasional Letters
Galatians And Romans

4.The Coherence Of The Gospel
Objections To Apocalyptic
Apocalyptic And The Resurrection Of Christ
The Cross Of Christ And The Demonic Powers
Christian Life And The Church: The Appropriation And Practice Of The Gospel In The Horizon Of Hope

5.The Enigma Of The Law And The Struggle Between Sin And Death
The Law Amid The Struggle Between The Powers
The Dilemma Of Sin And Death: Equal Or Disparate Powers?

6.Summary

Appendix: Paul The Theologian: Major Motifs In Pauline Theology

Bibliography
Indexes

Additional Info
This book posits two pillars as the foundations of Paul’s thought: 1) the interaction between coherence and contingency in Paul’s interpretation of the gospel and 2) the apocalyptic character of his gospel. The author ventures to demonstrate how Paul’s interpretation of the gospel as coherent is integral with Paul’s communication of the gospel as situationally contingent. These ostensibly opposing perspectives actually combine to form a fluid Pauline hermeneutic. The centrality of Christological apocalyptic in Paul’s interpretation is posited and involves a radical shift in traditional conceptions of Paul’s theology. The author is “recasting Paul’s theology as a theocentric theology of hope rather than as a Christocentric salvation-history (O. Cullmann) or as an existentialist theology of the cross (R. Bultmann). A theology of hope views the present as the dawn of the future and the future as the full actualization of the present.” Examining the implications of this approach-the ultimacy of God’s sovereignty and triumph beside the Christ- event, the formation of a “biblical- theology,” a rethinking of traditional concepts of salvation and ethics-the author intends to reveal a fresh and most enlightening view of Paul’s theology.